The 5 Most Important Things To Look For In A Writing Class
Writing is a complex subject that encompasses a wide scope of skills. A good first step to knowing that your writer is getting everything they need to build these skills is identifying these five things in their writing instruction. They’re essential in a writing curriculum at every age and level:
Reading and analysis of multiple high-quality examples. In writing, these are called mentor texts, and writers need to read and dissect several successful examples of what they are attempting to write before they start for themselves.
A specific rubric or checklist. Teachers need to provide a specific overview of what is required to be successful in the writing project. There shouldn’t be any surprises in the final grade.
Opportunities to write in a variety of formats. Essays are a great way to gauge critical thinking and an essential part of a writing curriculum. But students need experience writing in lots of different contexts, for different audiences, and with different purposes to be truly proficient writers.
Meaningful feedback on 1st drafts. Going from a rough draft to a final draft doesn’t just mean touching up spelling or going from handwritten to typed; it means receiving specific feedback, verbal or written, from the teacher. This feedback should give the student the insight and confidence to make significant edits and revisions.
A writing teacher who is a writer themselves. Just as it’s difficult to coach soccer if you’ve never played the sport or instruct math without the necessary numeracy skills, a writing teacher won’t be able to guide students to their highest point of writing success if the teacher themselves isn’t an experienced writer.
So, what should you do if your child isn’t getting all these things from their writing instruction? We’ve got a list of 5 things you can do at home to help fill in the gaps coming next week.
